also: ふぃぎあ
A loanword-style use for a visible figure, form, or shape. In everyday Japanese, 形 or 姿 is often more natural; フィギュア in this sense is more likely in art, design, or translated contexts.
In art or design contexts, フィギュア can refer to the shape of a person or object.
figurine; model figure
Common for collectible or display figures, especially character goods from anime, games, films, and similar media.
I have an anime character figurine displayed on my desk.
I pre-ordered the limited-edition figure.
Abbreviation of フィギュアスケート. Common in conversation, headlines, and sports coverage when the skating context is clear.
See also: フィギュアスケート
In winter, my mother often watches figure skating competitions.
My younger sister has been learning figure skating since elementary school.
He likes collecting anime figurines.
A figure skating competition will be broadcast on TV next month.
I display my favorite figurine on a shelf in my room.
フィギュアスケート is the full term for figure skating, while フィギュア is a common conversational abbreviation used when the skating context is already clear.
姿 refers to a person's or thing's visible appearance or posture, whereas フィギュア in this sense is a rarer, more abstract way to say 'figure' or 'form'.
模型 refers to scale models of objects like cars or buildings, whereas フィギュア usually refers to figures of people or characters.
figurehead
school figure; compulsory figure
figure skating
compulsory figure; school figure
figure skating
Standard katakana spelling; it is the high-priority form.
Attested irregular kana variant. The standard spelling is フィギュア.
Katakana word corresponding to senses of “figure”; no language of origin is specified, so the exact borrowing history is not stated here.